Oblivi-Oh no!
by P-Artsypants
Summary: A retelling of Oblivio, except Ladybug is the only one to lose her memory. How will Chat deal?


The elevator doors had closed, the cabin traveling down down down. Down to the bottom, and it was a long way. It wasn't much, but it would buy them some time.

He was shaking, slightly, though the suit gave him more courage. But seeing Ladybug take the hit as she had had startled him. Point blank, to the temple, and she was out cold on the floor. She was supposed to be the lucky one, so it was a fluke that she had gotten hit, and he hadn't.

No, it wasn't a fluke. It was all his fault. He'd been goofing around, per usual, and she had been distracted by his antics. Mostly distracted in her efforts to get him to do his damn job.

And now she was out cold. And her earrings were beeping. As was his ring.

She groaned on the ground behind him. "Hmm?"

He glanced back at her, seeing that she was wide awake, and her brows furrowed in confusion.

"Oh, you're awake! Thank god, I thought I was on my own."

"Uh…no…I'm awake. How long was I asleep?"

"Only a few minutes. You were hit right in the head."

"Oh, my head doesn't hurt at all." She rubbed it carefully. "I feel…alright."

He sighed. "Good. I was worried. The akuma is still on the loose, but you're about to detransform."

Again, she frowned, her lips tight. "Must be some costume party, huh?"

_Oh no…. "_What?"

"I'm very sorry. Who are you?"

That was unbearably painful coming from his lady. He should have seen this coming, given that it was a memory akuma. But regardless, he knelt beside her. "My name is Chat Noir, and I'm your partner."

"Partner? Are we in a costume contest?"

He smiled a bit at that. "No. We're superheroes."

Her eyes blew wide. "What? You're kidding!"

In that moment, there was a bright flash of pink light, and Chat turned to cover his eyes quickly. Then his transformation ran out too. "Well, we _were_ superheroes," he said, not looking at her.

She shrieked, though he didn't know why initially.

"Ew! What is that thing!? And why was it in my earrings!?"

"I'm not a thing! I'm a—…Actually, I don't know what I am." Said a sweet voice.

"You're a kwami," answered Plagg. "Just like me. But you're the Ladybug Kwami."

"Kwami? What's that?"

"I'll tell you all about it, but we should probably get out of here. Kid, you're going to have to look at her if you want to help her."

Plagg was right, but he was terribly conflicted. But what were the chances that he actually knew her? She'd probably be able to find out who he was without the mask if she had her memory. But the chances of her being a celebrity too? Slim. So he looked at her.

Whoops.

"Marinette!" He nearly shouted.

"Marinette? Is that my name?"

Sure enough, it was her. His close friend and the clumsy girl that sat behind him in class. Really? All this time it had been her? He was dumbfounded. Elated, but sort of disappointed in himself for not figuring it out sooner. "Y-yeah…you're name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I'm Adrien Agreste."

"It's nice to meet you Adrien," She smiled.

He returned the look. It was a much better introduction than the first time they met.

The elevator shook, as the akuma dropped on the roof, making a dent and stopping the car.

Marinette tumbled into him, and he wrapped an arm around her.

"We need to move!"

Together, they pulled on the doors, barely making any progress as the ceiling dropped again.

"Watch this!" Plagg said to Tikki, as he phased through the door.

"Amazing!" Tikki complimented, following suit. "We must be exceptional beings!"

"More exceptional than those two in there." He winked, then he dived into the control pad, and forced the doors open.

"Thank goodness!" Marinette cried.

"Let's go!" Adrien took her hand and off they rushed down the hall, making their way to the stairs.

In the lobby, they were horrified to find the room in chaos and the exits all blocked. The thrashing from the elevators continued.

"What do we do now, super kitty?"

"That's not my...you know what? It's fine. It's cute. But if we can't escape, we need to find a place to hide."

"Let's go back up. It's a big building."

He nodded and they ran up the stairs, an explosion from the elevator coming as they left.

"Come out, come out wherever you are!"

They went up a few flights, and then into a bathroom. "This should buy us a few minutes." Adrien supposed.

"A few minutes to eat?" Asked Plagg, a little pathetically.

Adrien took out the Camembert from his pocket and gave it to him. "Here you go buddy."

Tikki whined painfully.

Marinette opened her purse, finding a cute pink macaron inside. "Here, does this help?"

Tikki swiped it and ate it with one gulp.

The door to the stairwell opened with a bang. "Olly olly oxen free!" Oblivio sang.

"That wasn't nearly enough time!" Adrien lamented.

"He must have heard the door close," Marinette supposed. She yanked him into a stall, and they both went to lock it, their hands touching.

Marinette held a finger over her lips, and then pointed at the vent. As quietly as possible, they unscrewed the register, as the bathroom door opened.

Adrien bit his lip as a stall door slammed open on the opposite end.

The Akuma was nearly on them now, and he had finally gotten in the vent.

"I have an idea," whispered Tikki, flitting passed them both. She lifted the grate and placed it back on the opening, and then started to rescrew it into place. Plagg joined, and they had it just as the Akuma banged their door open.

Marinette latched onto Adrien, holding her breath.

It seemed ages while the Akuma stared at the vent, trying to determine if they could have made it through there.

Finally, they gave up. "They're around here somewhere." They grumbled, and left.

Marinette waited until she heard the slam of the door, and Oblivio's voice echoing down the hall before she let go of Adrien. "That was close..."

He was blushing hard, as she continued to rest her arm on his shoulder. "Yeah..." Then he cleared his throat. "This seems like a good hiding place. Let's stay here for the time being. We need to give our kwami some time to rest."

"That's right," Marinette remembered, looking at Tikki. "You're a kwami! Which is…what, exactly?"

"A kwami, in human terms, is a god." Explained Plagg. "I am the God of Destruction and Bad Luck, and she is the Goddess of Creation and Good Luck."

"I'm a…wow! That's a lot of power!"

He scoffed. "It was more, but then a mage made the Miraculous and bound our powers. Now we can interact with humans, and we're much much less powerful."

"**Miraculous?**" Tikki and Marinette asked in unison.

"Your earrings," Adrien gestured to her ears. "And my ring. They're what allow us to turn into superheroes."

The look on her face showed that she was highly suspicious of his story, despite what she had seen so far.

"So…" Adrien paused, trying to think of where to start. He propped his head up on his hand, trying to get comfortable in the cramped space. "You and I are superheroes. You're Ladybug, and I'm Chat Noir."

"Oh, so that's why my suit was red and polka dotted. So what? I'm like a bug hero?"

"No, you have the power of good luck, and I have the power of bad luck."

She considered this a moment. "And how exactly does that work?"

"Your power, Lucky Charm, allows you to create an object to solve a solution, while my power, Cataclysm, allows me to destroy anything I touch."

"That sounds a bit unfair," she pouted.

He chuckled. "It only works once. Then, we have five minutes before we de-transform."

"Okay, seems pretty straight forward. So we just fight them until they die?"

He sputtered. "No! We can't kill them! They're people!"

She turned up her lip. "Okay, so what do we do?"

"There's a super villain named Hawkmoth, and he's the one that created the thing that's chasing us. He infected a upset person with something called an akuma. Then they gain powers and come under his control."

"I see. So…we have to find and defeat Hawkmoth?"

"No, well...yeah. We do want to do that. But not today. Not without your memory."

"So we find this akuma on them, then?"

"Yes!" He praised, thrilled that she was picking it up so quickly. "The akuma is hiding in an object. We break the object, and then you purify it using your yo-yo."

"My…yo-yo?"

"Your weapon."

"Huh." It wasn't a question, just an observation.

"Once you purify it, you can call for Miraculous Ladybug, and all the damage the akuma caused will be reversed, and you'll get your memory back."

"Oh! Okay!" Anything to get her memory back! She couldn't stand not knowing who she was! On the other hand, the idea of going up against a super villain was frightening and not something she was ready to do right this moment.

It was like he could read her mind. "But, we can wait here for a little longer. Until you and the kwami are ready."

She breathed in relief. "Thank you."

"Of course."

They lapsed into silence for a moment, as Marinette stared at him, thinking.

"You're really cute," she announced, unapologetically.

He blushed hard. "Thank you, Marinette."

She folded her arms up to lay her head on them, "what kind of person am I?"

"Hm?"

"I know I'm a hero. But what about _me_? Am I a good person?"

"Yes! Absolutely!" He assured, "you're very kind and you always put others before yourself. You strive to tell the truth and you look for the best in others!"

"So I have a lot of friends then?"

"Yeah! There's Alya and Nino and Rose and Juleka…"

"And you?"

"Yes, I'm your friend, too." He smiled.

"I'm glad. We must be best friends then, right? If we're partners?"

"Um…I think Ladybug and Chat Noir are best friends. But, I don't think you like me very much."

She furrowed her brow. "What do you mean? Do…do I not know that you're a superhero?"

"No, we don't know each other's identities."

"Well, that's stupid."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I kind of thought so too."

"So, you just found out I'm me?"

"Yeah."

"Are you okay with that?"

"Yeah, you know? I am. I'm really happy you're you." He smiled genuinely.

She smiled back, then it turned sad. "Why do you think I don't like you? Did you do something bad?"

He shrugged. "Well, it depends. When you and I first met, I was trying to take gum off of your chair, but you assumed I was trying to put it on. It made sense, given who was around me at the time. But we didn't really get off to a good start. We finally talked and met eye to eye, but you still acted kind of reserved around me. Stuttering, nervous, and you don't often look me in the eye."

"Oh…" she said sadly. "I'm sorry. That's not fair. I shouldn't be holding a grudge to you."

"I don't think it's a grudge." He offered, "I think you just…feel uncomfortable around me. But that's not to say we don't get along! We do! You've been really, amazingly kind to me. And I always appreciate it. Like this!" He reached into his pocket and pulled out the beaded charm. "You gave me this lucky charm not long after we met, and I carry it everywhere with me! It really works!"

She beamed. "That's wonderful! Oh!" She remembered seeing something similar in her purse. She opened it again, finding another beaded charm. "Then, what's this?"

Adrien was touched. "That's the charm I made you to match!"

She held it in her hand, feeling the smooth beads with her finger. "Then, I don't think I could dislike you if I have this on me."

He smiled warmly, letting the idea seep in.

Marinette rummaged around in her purse a little more, finding her phone. "Hey! I bet this will give me answers! Oh…" she deflated, seeing the passcode on the screen. "I don't remember how to unlock it."

Adrien peered at it. "Oh, it looks like the same model I have. There's a thumb print scanner on the bottom."

She placed her thumb on the home button, and sure enough, it unlocked. "Oh! You were right Adrien! Now, let's see..." she swiped through the icons before noticing her wallpaper. "I must like you very much! Look, you're my wallpaper." She turned her screen so he could see.

Sure enough, there he was. A very nice photo, one from a shoot. A shoot that he had rather enjoyed to be honest. His eyes widened as he stared at it. He thought back to all the posters in her room. She had said then that she was a fan, and it had made sense since she was so into fashion.

But a phone wallpaper was a different honor. One that he couldn't ignore.

Just like the heart that was so tastefully edited over the whole thing.

He gulped, his eyes going wide as his face burned.

She took the phone back and looked at it fondly. She opened the photo app, and found a whole folder of pictures of him. "I might even have a crush on you." She teased.

Oh, if only she had her memory, this would all be very very different.

Adrien was somewhere between elated and horrified. On one hand, if she really did _like_ like him, then all his dreams had come true.

On the other, how in the world was he supposed to explain this once she got her memory back? Would she remember this conversation on her own? He sure hoped she would! Or else he was majorly screwed!

"What about you, Super Kitty? Do you like me?"

"I...I love you, my lady. I've told you many times before." There was no point in hiding it.

She furrowed her brow, "you're telling me that you professed your love to me, and that we're not an item?"

"Right, because if you recall, up until a few minutes ago, I didn't know you were Marinette."

She glanced back at her phone, her lip screwed up in thought. "This is all super confusing. I thought it would be easier to understand than the whole superhero thing, but...why is my life so complicated?!"

That actually made him laugh, "tell me about it. On top of being a superhero, I'm also a model."

"Wow, really? I don't doubt it, you're very handsome!" She glanced at the screen again. "That explains all these quality photos."

This girl had to stop it before he combusted. "Thank you. I also have a really strict father, so finding ways to save the world without getting in trouble is a never ending headache."

"That sounds extremely rough." She reached a hand out and touched his arm. "But now that you know who I am, you can come and talk to me when you need to. I'd like to help my partner."

He smiled back, "I really appreciate that." Though, the more he thought about it, the more he worried. Would Ladybug even want to talk to him again after this? She was always so insistent upon them keeping their identities a secret, with good reason of course, but how would she react? Would she distance herself from him to keep him safe?

No, he wouldn't be able to bare it. Not after knowing who she truly was. Marinette had always had a special place in his heart, and finding out they were one and the same was the greatest gift he could receive.

But just in case something did go wrong, he wanted to treasure these moments while he had them.

Marinette rubbed the back of her hand across her forehead. "Is it just me, or is it getting hot in here?"

"The heat must have kicked on," he noted with disdain. "We better get out of here before we roast alive. Think you're ready to fight?"

"I might need a refresher on my powers, but I think we can do it. As long as you're with me."

"I'll be with you every step of the way. I'll protect you, my lady."

They crawled forward, coming into the next room through the vent, a large office space with big windows. From here, they could see the traffic at a stand still down below.

"I wonder where the akuma went." Adrien said aloud.

"I'll go take a peek outside." Plagg announced, phasing through the window.

"Okay, how do I put my costume on again?"

"All you have to do is say Tikki…" He paused, drawing a blank. "Shoot, I don't know what your magic words are."

"Then what do we do?"

"Don't worry, we'll just call Master Fu."

"Who?"

"He's the one who gave us our Miraculous. Can you unlock your phone?"

She did, and he led her through her contacts until they found a picture of a turtle.

The line rang once, before a man's voice answered. "Marinette? Is everything okay?"

"Mr. Turtle? I've lost my memory. Adrien has told me everything I need to do, but neither of us know the words for me to transform into Ladybug."

"Adrien's with you? Does he still have his memory?"

"Yes master," Adrien responded. "I think I covered everything for her. Lucky Charm, purifying the akuma, and Miraculous Ladybug."

"For now, that's all she needs to know. Everything else will come back after the healing spell. To transform into Ladybug, all you have to say is, 'Tikki, Spots On'."

"Tikki, Spots On?"

In a flurry of red and pink magic, Marinette disappeared, and Ladybug appeared in her place.

"Wow," Adrien breathed. "It's still so surreal to see you."

She offered an uneasy smile. "I don't really feel like a superhero."

"You will, once we get out there."

"Adrien," Master Fu spoke from the line.

"Yes Master?"

"After the healing spell, Marinette will likely forget about all this, but you will remember. It is up to you if you want to tell her that you know. I will stay quiet."

"Why wouldn't you tell me?" Marinette asked, feeling hurt.

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. "Well…your identity is really important to you. Master Fu was the only one who knew, and you wanted to keep it like that for safety sake."

"Safety sake?"

He offered a half smile, "you don't have to worry about it, okay?"

"Okay, if you say so…"

"Good luck you two!" Master Fu cheered.

"Thank you for all your help!" Marinette said, before hanging up.

Adrien continued, "Now remember, all you have to do to use your powers is to say the words, so don't say it until you're ready, okay?"

"Oh! I get it! That's a relief! I thought I'd have to try to relearn the _feeling_ of an attack, you know?"

"Mmm, there's a little of that."

She groaned.

"But you're a natural! I'm sure you'll pick it up just fine."

She looked completely unsure as she held the yo-yo in her hands, her fingers curling around it tightly.

Gently, he grasped her shoulders and forced her to look at him. "You're not doing this alone, you know? I'll be with you every step of the way. I vowed to protect you before, and I'll stick to it."

She frowned slightly. "But if you get hit and lose your memory…"

"I won't get hit. Don't worry."

"You promise?"

"Promise, my lady."

Plagg returned from his scouting. "The akuma is on the roof, and he's conjuring a huge attack to hit everyone in Paris. We need to go."

"On it! Plagg, claws out!"

The battle was a little rough at first, considering Ladybug had no idea what she was doing, but with some gentle assurance from Chat, just like when they first started out, they were victorious and won the day.

"Now, all you have to do is throw the lucky charm up in the air and call for Miraculous Ladybug, and you'll get your memories back."

She held the teapot in her hands, looking uncertain. "Will I remember today?"

He frowned. "Probably not."

She bit her lip, "then…can I ask you a favor?"

"Anything?"

"Will you kiss me? You love me, don't you?"

"I…I do. But, why this all of a sudden?"

"Well, I know I'm supposed to have a crush on you anyway, but…just by how you've treated me today, I've fallen in love with you."

His throat ran dry. "Are you sure?"

She nodded, looking extremely shy.

It was precious.

Slowly, he wrapped an arm around her waist, and the other across her shoulders. Then with a little wink, he dipped her in his arms.

It was a little selfish, he admitted to himself. But he quickly justified it, since he had seen his own face as her wallpaper on her phone.

Alya and Nino, who had previously been the akuma known as Oblivio, had recovered and watched the scene unfold with shock and excitement.

Mostly from Alya, who was already recording the whole thing.

They separated, but not far as Adrien righted her on her feet.

"Super kitty?" She whispered.

"Yeah, Bugaboo?"

"You'll tell me, right? After everything goes back?"

If there was one thing Ladybug hated, it was liars.

But he figured she'd hate being found out even more. "Of course."

She nodded, pleased. "Alright then." She threw the tea pot up into the air with a shout of, "Miraculous Ladybug!"

As the Ladybugs zipped around in the air, Ladybug returned to his embrace.

Only to jump out of it a minute later.

"Wha! Chat?! What do you think you're doing!? We have an akuma to catch!"

"Actually Ladybug…" began Alya, "you already stopped him. He was us."

"Oh...okay." She turned to Chat. "Pound it?"

He smiled and offered his fist. "Pound it."

"Well my lady, even without your memory, we still kick butt! A very effective couple, don't you think?"

"Don't you dare start with that again! It was your flirting that got us in trouble in the first place! For the last time, we are not a couple! I'm in love with someone else!"

So it wasn't just a crush. He gave a smug little smile. "I know, my lady. I'm just teasing."

"This doesn't just look like teasing, Chat." Alya said, holding up her phone.

Chat paled slightly.

"What! This is a disaster! What on earth happened!?"

He rested a warm hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, I took care of you."

"Oh it sure looks like it!" She said furiously, yanking his hand off of her. "You took advantage of me!"

"No! I swear! I mean—a little…but you wanted to kiss me."

"What?! Why on earth would I want to—" She froze. The beep of her earring reminding her of a very key detail. The last thing she remembered before getting hit was her earring beeping. More than it was now. "You…you saw…" She breathed.

He didn't answer, but the look on his face spoke volumes.

She held a shaky hand to her mouth, as her earring continued to beep.

"You should go." He urged. "We'll talk later. I know where to find you."

Without another word, Ladybug swung away to de-transform.

Not too far away though, since she had a class field trip to return to.

She landed behind an air conditioning unit away from public sight, her suit dissolving.

"Marinette?" Tikki asked softly.

Marinette collected her in her hands. "Good job, Tikki," she said, her voice shaking. "I don't have any more macarons..."

"Don't worry about me. I can eat later. What about you?"

She was quiet, her hand covering her mouth lest she all out sob. "Chat knows who I am."

"Yeah, he does. But if you lost your memory, he probably didn't have a choice."

"I feel really violated."

"I bet you do. But right now, you need to pull it together and meet back up with your friends."

"Tikki…"

"Just tell them you lost your memory and you're a little disorientated. They'll understand!"

She breathed deeply, her eyes pricking with tears. "And you'll be right by me."

"Of course. I lost my memory too, I know just how you feel."

Marinette stood on wobbly legs. "I'm not worried about my memory right now. Though, that will probably hit me soon too."

Tikki gave her a comforting kiss on the cheek, and then zipped into her bag.

Then Marinette was making her way over to her friends, though she almost tripped twice on flat ground. Alya and Nino were catching up with Adrien. Alya was excitedly explaining what she had seen, waving her phone around with the video still playing.

Marinette meekly approached them, trying to ground herself in the moment.

"There you are! You'll never believe what happened! Ladybug and Chat kissed! I recorded the whole thing! Look!"

Marinette couldn't. She couldn't fake interest in this, and she couldn't force herself to be happy for Alya. "You...you won't post that, will you?"

"Of course I'm posting it! This is huge! The biggest development between them in months!" She wasn't even looking at Marinette, but staring at the phone screen.

Marinette looked positively sick.

"Hey, you okay?" Asked Adrien, resting a hand on her shoulder.

She hugged herself, willing her mind to stop it's frantic racing. "I'm fine…just a little disorientated. Since I lost my memory."

He gave her a soft, comforting smile. "I see."

He stood a little closer to her as Alya continued to go on and on about the kiss. What was worse was that she hadn't waited to upload it, and continued to read out comments in real time as they came rolling in.

Nino had taken the lead to escort everyone back to the lobby, while Alya filled the tense air with words. It wasn't what Marinette wanted to hear, but she was glad she wasn't forced to make conversation.

It was almost as if Adrien noticed her unease, since he reached out and took her hand.

She looked at him with shock. Any other day, she'd be over the moon, shy, and embarrassed, but right now all she could express was shock.

"This okay?" He whispered, his thumb rubbing against her knuckles.

"Um…" It was perfect. Fantastic even. She just wished she could enjoy it. She only nodded, and allowed him to keep her from being swallowed by her thoughts.

In the lobby, they stood in the back, out of sight of the other classmates. Especially Lila and Chloe. Miss Bustier instructed that the field trip was over and that they'd be returning to the school for the last hour of the day.

Marinette wasn't listening, but trusted that Adrien would lead her where she needed to go.

"Nino, why don't you and Alya sit together? I'm sure you have plenty to talk about." Adrien suggested.

"What about you, dude?"

"I'll sit with Marinette! She seems a little too exhausted from the akuma to entertain Alya."

"Hey!" Alya nearly shouted. "I don't need to be entertained!" Then her phone dinged and she discarded the argument for another. "Ugh, this guy again! I already told him that RenaNoir is never gonna happen! He's just a troll at this point!" And she was off on something else.

It was sort of hurtful that Alya hadn't picked up on her distress, but Marinette didn't know if she could handle gentle prying Alya right now.

She could barely handle gentle comforting Adrien.

They made their way to their seats and settled in for the drive back to school, which with traffic at this point, looked like it would take longer than walking.

Still, Marinette breathed a sigh of relief to be tucked in her little row. She was alone.

With Adrien. The love of her life. And she almost didn't care.

"Adrien, I'm really sorry, I'm not going to be the best company right now."

He gave her a soothing smile and squeezed her hand. Then, to her horror, he leaned in and left a kiss on her head. "Don't worry my lady, I took care of you then, I'll take care of you now."

Her body felt cold, his words like a blanket of ice draping on her shoulders. But the hand in his burned, sweating against his skin.

No. Way.

The bus lurched, and they were off.

The sheer panic and horror on her face was too much for him, and he gave that soothing smile again, genuine in voice and action. "It's going to be alright. We'll talk later, okay?"

Alright? Alright? Nothing was alright! It would never be alright! Adrien was Chat Noir! And he knew she was Ladybug! After all this time, after doing everything she could to protect them and their families, now what? One more of his slip ups and...Hawkmoth would know everything.

It felt like a violation of privacy, having him know, but no idea _how_ he knew. Not knowing his reaction.

Did he try to look away? Or did he eagerly watch as she detransformed? Was he happy? Or disappointed?

Her throat was tight and her tongue dry. A weight settled in her chest, hurting her heart.

Her eyes pricked with tears, but she refused to let them go.

"Princess?" Chat's voice came from Adrien's mouth.

A tear fell without permission, and then another. She trembled in her seat, holding her breath lest she sobbed out.

Adrien released her hand, only to wrap that arm around her shoulder and take her hand with his other.

She refused to meet his eyes, because she knew she'd absolutely fall apart if she did. So she kept her eyes trained out the window, not really seeing anything.

"Look, you can see La Coupole over there." He gestured.

Her eyes landed in the direction he was pointing to, seeing the little cafe across the street.

"Have you ever been there before?"

She shook her head. "It's a tourist trap."

"I always thought so too, but it's actually really cool! They have this soup that's really good. Normally, my dad doesn't let me go out to restaurants, but I had a shoot there one time…" He proceeded to go on and talk about the shoot. The theme, the clothes, the material. Then at the next landmark he spotted, he told about that shoot. A huge emphasis on the clothes, because he knew she liked fashion, and it was her safe place.

She began to calm down. She didn't say anything, but her tears had subsided, and her breath no longer skipped.

The half hour bus ride ended back at school and everyone was ushered back inside.

In Miss Bustier's room, everyone took their seats.

"Alright everyone, I had planned for that field trip to last all day, so you can use the last hour of the day to do homework or talk quietly."

People started getting out their notes, books, and homework before Alya stood and announced, "Ladybug and Chat Noir kissed after the akuma and I got it on camera!"

There was chaos. Some were in denial. Others were cheering. But just about everyone was clambering over the desks to get a peek at the video.

All except for Adrien and Marinette, who both blushed at the announcement.

Nino knelt on the bench, enraptured in the conversation. After all, he was an eyewitness, too.

Marinette just rested her head in her arms, her gaze unfocused and an unnatural calm on her face that didn't reflect the turmoil in her head.

Adrien stood and went to the teacher. "Miss Bustier? I need to call my dad and let him know I'm safe from the akuma attack."

She nodded in understanding, "you can take the call in the hall, but stand by the window so I can see you."

"Thank you!"

In the hall, Adrien called his father, hoping to actually reach him for once.

"Adrien? Why are you calling me during school hours?"

"There was an akuma attack, I was just letting you know I was safe."

"Yes, but the attack was at Montparnasse Tower, wasn't it?"

"We were there for a field trip today."

"That was _your _class?"

"Yeah! Didn't Nathalie tell you?"

Gabriel was quiet on the other line before admitting, "It must have slipped my mind." He cleared his throat, "At any rate, I appreciate you checking in. I'm very happy that you're safe."

"One other thing…"

Gabriel's silence was the only indication that he was listening.

"My friend Marinette is having a really rough day. I was wondering if I could hang out with her after school?"

"…Marinette…she's the baker's daughter?"

"Yeah! She's really nice and smart and talented—!" Adrien's cheeks warmed when he realized he had gone off like that in front of his father. "She's a really good friend."

Gabriel was silent again, contemplating this development. "It sounds like you have…feelings for her."

Adrien swallowed. "I do."

Gabriel sighed at the end of the line. "And after all those talks with Mrs. Tsurugi…"

"What?"

"I thought you were interested in Kagami Tsurugi?"

"Not really…She's a really good friend, but..."

"Alright. Well, Miss Dupain-Cheng seems like a well adjusted young lady. Her talent at her age is unparalleled. I approve of you courting her."

Adrien nearly started dancing in joy.

"However..."

Adrien held his breath. A 'however' was never good.

"I expect you to be responsible. Your relationship will not come in between your modeling, or your extracurriculars. You will not give into any petty gossip should it arise. And you will let Miss Dupain-Cheng know the standards which I expect you to hold yourself to. No inappropriate behavior that could reflect badly upon our family or the brand."

Adrien shrank, since he already had a hefty conversation to have with her. But now this? "Yes father."

"I don't worry, Adrien. If it was someone like Miss Bourgeois, I would be much more cautious. Miss Dupain-Cheng seems to be the type to avoid unwarranted attention, and even warranted attention as well."

"Yeah," Adrien hummed patiently. "She's kind of shy."

"Well. I must get back to work. If you have plans with Miss Dupain-Cheng, would you be sure to tell your driver?"

"Yes father."

"That's a good boy."

Back in the classroom, Marinette had traded seats with Nino, so she could get out of the way of the undulating crowd.

Though, it hardly mattered where she was, the conversation was so loud.

"Memory or no memory, this proves that Ladynoir are destined to be together!"

"Are you kidding? Chat was totally taking advantage of her! He's a total creep and a pervert!"

"He's not a creep! He's just shooting his shot!"

"By kissing her without permission? That's hardly fair."

"You don't know if he got permission or not! Alya didn't record that much."

"But you were there, right Alya? You would have heard!"

The argument was so heated and overwhelming that Marinette had completely lost track of who was talking.

But she did pick up Alya's voice when she admitted, "Nino and I came back to consciousness just after they started kissing. But she seemed to enjoy it since she hugged him afterwards."

"There! Proof!"

Adrien took his seat next to her, sliding a little closer than normal.

She glanced at him shyly.

He didn't dare talk to her about it now. Not while the whole class was just behind them, screaming about...well, them.

Instead, he took out a sheet of paper and wrote a note.

_Walk you home after school? _

Then he slid it over the desk so she could see.

Her cheeks reddened and she seemed relieved, if only slightly. She nodded once, and gave a half-smile.

Chloe was speaking, "it really is disgusting that you would post a photo like that when you know that Ladybug is so concerned about her privacy."

"Since when do you care about Ladybug's privacy?"

"Ever since that trash Ladyblog became a tabloid instead of real news?"

"It's not a tabloid!" Alya defended, heatedly. "This is the news that people want!"

"Oh get real! No one wants to see that pathetic cat force himself on Ladybug!"

"It hardly looked like that..." Nino tried to defend.

"Uh, Hell~oooo! Have you been on Twitter? Everyone is talking about how useless Chat has been! He doesn't do anything, he distracts Ladybug, he doesn't take 'no' for an answer, and—this is the most important part—like, 75% of the time, he gets hit by the Akuma and Ladybug ends up fighting him too! Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!"

Suddenly, Marinette stood, putting her bag over her shoulder. She walked up to the teacher. "Miss Bustier, can I go home early? I'm not feeling very well."

"Oh, of course Marinette, that's fine."

"Thank you." She gave a pathetic smile and walked out.

Adrien stood too. "Um, is it okay if I walk her home?"

"Oh Adrikins!" Chloe looped an arm through his. "You were going to come shopping with me today, remember?"

Oops, he had forgotten about that. Was it February 30th already?

Then to his _sheer delight _(that's sarcasm), Lila wrapped her arm around his other side. "But you were going to help me study! Physics is your best subject, and we have that test tomorrow!"

There was a vague memory about promising to help her for the next test. But did it really have to be today?

What was he doing? Why was he even thinking about this?

He pulled his arms free and shoveled his belongings into his bag. "Sorry, I have to go after Marinette!"

"Why? She lives a block away! She'll be fine!" Chloe said flippantly.

"I love her!"

Silence. The room went dead silent.

Then, Alya shouted out, "WHAT!"

"Dude, since when!?" Asked Nino, "you never showed any interest in her before!"

Adrien clenched his fists, "Since the day I met her. She was always special to me, I just didn't know why. Today, I realized what it was…I'm in love with her. I'm really really in love with her."

Silence prevailed for a beat as both Chloe and Lila stared in shock and anger.

Then the rest of the room broke out into cheers.

Adrien took the distraction to run from the room.

Outside, he looked around, not seeing Marinette anywhere. She must have already made it home. He sent a quick text to his driver to let him know where he was going to be, and then headed over to the bakery.

It was busy for the time of day it was, and Sabine was dealing with two customers at once. He hesitated in the back of the crowd, feeling awkward. He didn't want to bother her, but he also didn't want to go upstairs without asking. He'd just have to find another way to talk to her.

Her balcony!

He went back outside, and took cover in a narrow alleyway. Once transformed, he climbed the building, and landed on her balcony railing. There was no sign of her outside, so he crept over to the skylight and looked in.

There she was, curled up on her bed, hugging her pillow to her chest, and sobbing.

It was heart wrenching.

Tikki, who was sitting on the pillow, spotted him and phased through the window. "Hi Chat," she said softly.

"Hi Tikki."

"I don't think we've ever formally met."

"We did today," he shrugged.

"Ah."

"…can I go in? I want to see her…" His hand itched to open the latch.

Tikki looked hesitant and finally nodded. But then added, "be gentle with her…she's really upset."

He nodded in confirmation, and opened the window. The thing was, he didn't understand _why_ she was upset. Sure, her identity was sacred to her, but surely the fact that _he_ knew wasn't that big of a deal? He was elated! Ladybug was Marinette! One of his best friends!

Unless…she was upset that he was Chat. She liked Adrien, right? Like a crush? What if him being Chat was the deal breaker?

Well, this was a conversation that needed to be had. If not, there was no way for them to get back to their crime fighting dynamic.

And he really didn't want to lose her. Even if that meant settling for their friendship.

Carefully, he climbed inside, and sat on her bed, careful to keep his boots off of her covers.

"I knew you'd come." She said softly.

"Of course."

She sat up, rubbing her cheeks with the back of her hand. "I…I'm sorry, I don't want to be upset."

"Would you like me to take the suit off? Would that be easier?"

"No…I actually find it easier to talk to Chat…"

"Because you have a crush on Adrien?"

She didn't answer, but that was enough. Finally, she squeaked out, "don't make fun of me."

"I would never, my lady!"

She pulled her legs up and rested her chin on her knees.

"But, you don't…you don't feel that way anymore, do you?"

"What?! No! I mean, yes! I do still like you!" She blushed, her eyes widening in horror.

He blushed too, a smile stretching on his cheeks. "Then what's the problem? You know I like you…"

She sighed, hugging herself tighter. "Chat…I'm so happy you're Adrien. There's no one I'd rather have as my kitty, my partner…" She looked down to her toes. "I'm just scared…"

"Marinette, you're the most amazing person I know. Knowing that you and Ladybug are one in the same, is an absolute dream come true! Why would you be scared of me?"

She groaned, helplessly, "because it's not you I'm scared of! It's Hawkmoth!"

This was puzzling. "Why him all of a sudden? He never scared you before."

"Ugh, I know! I just…this sucks!"

"I don't think it does…"

Frustrated, she just blurted out, "Chat, you always get hit!"

"…What?"

"You get hit, and fall under the akuma's control! Like Maledictator! Or Dark Cupid! Or Puppeteer! Chloe was right…you get hit a lot…" A fresh round of tears stared to fall, as it hurt to confess this to him. "And I've gotten hit plenty of times too…and our suits don't protect us from their attacks."

"I know they don't." He said, matter of factly. "I'll take the hits if I have to. As long as you stay safe so you can do Miraculous Ladybug."

"But don't you see?! It's only a matter of time before there's a mind reading akuma! Or one that makes us tell the truth! Then _both_ of our identities will be revealed! Then our friends and families will become targets for Hawkmoth!"

Oh. He hadn't thought of that. Not even remotely considered it. But she was right, as usual.

Chat rested his hands on her shoulders. "Bug, I'm not going to let that happen."

"But—"

"The second we go up against an akuma, I start weighing the options. Protecting you is the number one priority. I always analyze if I can take a hit. Sometimes I don't want to, but if there's no other option, I will. But something that could endanger my identity is always on my mind. I know I seem reckless, but I promise, this will not happen."

"Chat…"

"Claws in…" He whispered.

A flash of green and Adrien remained.

"Now this feels weird…" she admitted.

"I'm still me, Mari. And you're still my bugaboo."

She frowned. "Don't call me that."

He grinned, "see? Still you!"

She managed a smile, though it turned sordid. "I…I feel violated. I wanted to tell you. I wanted to say everything, and tell you who I was and hang out outside of the suit…but on my own time. When I felt it was safe. But that didn't happen. I don't even know what happened! I…I'm sorry…"

Adrien ran his hand down her arm and took hold of hers, letting his thumb rub against her knuckles. "When you were shot, I grabbed you and dragged you into the elevator. It didn't take long for your suit to dissolve, since you had used Lucky Charm. I didn't want to look, but Plagg reminded me that if I wanted to help you, I'd have to look at you."

"Or else the Akuma would have easily overwhelmed you and then you'd both be out." Plagg interjected, not to be made the villain.

Adrien then went on to explain the day, and what they had shared. How he found out about her crush, and how the kiss happened in the end.

"Then you did Miraculous Ladybug, and…you know the rest."

She couldn't meet his eyes. It was so embarrassing!

"…I wasn't going to tell you, initially." He confessed. "I knew you were going to act poorly, but…you saw right through me. You're just too smart."

"I…I should have wished that you at least keep your identity a secret, but…I'm really really happy it's you. I trust you, Adrien. If you say it's not going to be a problem, then it won't."

"I'm sorry Marinette, this whole thing was my fault. I've been getting sloppy. I kinda lost sight of our goal…akumas cropping up was actually exciting for me because I got to see you…and I got to get outside. We're supposed to be defeating Hawkmoth. Not playing games." He turned away, his eyes unfocused and watery. "I'm sorry that I messed up. Could you ever forgive me?"

"Of course, mon chaton!" She breathed. Then she reached out and hugged him. "It was an accident. And you took care of me, just like you said."

He reciprocated the hug, wrapping her up tightly in his embrace. "I'll always take care of you."

She smelled his cologne, felt the softness of his designer shirt, and revealed in the warmth from his hands. Her heart pounded in her ears. This was Adrien, but it was also Chat. Her best friend.

"My lady…" he spoke softly. "I…I love you."

How long had she waited to hear those words from his perfect lips? She pulled back, and looked into his oh so green eyes. "I love you too," she said honestly.

"Then…I have another question."

"Okay."

"Who's dating? Adrien and Marinette? Or Ladybug and Chat?"

She bit her lip to keep from outright _beaming_.

"Well, I think Adrien and Marinette would have to come up with a quick story for how they got together…"

"Oh, I think I have that covered," he chuckled awkwardly. "I may have declared that I was in love with you to the whole class after you left. Chloe and Lila both wanted me to stay, and…I couldn't."

She blushed hard, "you're adorable."

"No, _you're_ adorable." He challenged back.

She giggled. "As for Ladybug and Chat…I think it might be fun to blue ball our fans for a little while. But Ladybug could be a little more receptive to Chat's flirting, don't you think?"

He became giddy, "will you flirt back?"

"Oh definitely."

He giggled, hugging her again. Then he said more seriously, "but I'll do better in battle. I promise. I'll stay totally focused."

"That's all I want." She said with a contented sigh.

Then, he reached up and touched her face, his thumb tracing the area where her mask would be. "You have the cutest freckles."

"I get them from my dad."

"My mom always said freckles were left from angels kisses."

"That's kinda corny."

"Well, yeah…but do you want more freckles?"

She blushed hotly, and pouted. "Are you calling yourself an angel?"

"Are you saying I'm not?"

"Get out." She said flatly.

"No, I'm sorry!"

She giggled again, finding the laughter coming naturally. This was nice, being with him like this. She was still nervous, but her words were clear, and Chat's dorkiness was keeping her grounded. There was no impending doom, no threat of an akuma. Just her, and just him.

Just them.

"Marinette…I feel really bad about that kiss."

"How so?"

"You…you don't remember it. It's not really fair…"

She smiled gently. "I think it's perfectly fair. You don't remember our first kiss after all."

"Oh yeah!" He got a little indignant. "I have nothing to apologize for!"

Again, Marinette laughed. "But, if it'll make you feel better, how about another kiss?"

That was all the invitation that he needed before he pulled her to him and kissed her soundly. A tender, toe-curling kiss. A kiss filled with longing from both of them. A kiss that held a promise for the future.

While so many bad things happened that day, this was perfect. And that's all that mattered.


End file.
